1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hose clamp for clamping automotive air cleaner hoses, oil hoses, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
A hose member, such as an automotive air cleaner hose, is formed by blow molding elastic polymer (e.g., NBR, CR, EPDM, soft PP, etc.). It is then installed to a mating member (e.g., an air cleaner, a throttle body, etc.), and tightened to the mating member by a hose clamp so as to establish the sealing between itself and the mating member.
Heretofore, there have been proposed a variety of conventional hose clamps for engaging the hose member with the mating member. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a conventional hose clamp 21 includes a strip-shaped clamping main body 25, and a screw 26. The clamping main body 25 includes a tubular portion 22 having a female-threaded hole, and disposed at one of the opposite ends, and a retractable allowance portion 24 disposed at the other one of the opposite ends. The retractable allowance portion 24 includes an array of grooves 23 which are disposed in a length-wise direction of the clamping main body 25, and which are disposed at intervals equal to the pitches of the female thread formed in the tubular portion 22. The screw 26 is fitted into the female-threaded hole of the tubular portion 22, and is meshed with the array of grooves 23.
The conventional hose clamp 21 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 4-194,486. Prior to service, the screw 26, working as an operating member, is loosened so as to enlarge the diameter of the clamping main body 25. Thus, the entire hose clamp 21 is temporarily placed at one of the opposite ends of a hose member. After engaging the hose member with a mating member at one of the opposite ends, the screw 26 is rotated so as to advance its meshing with the array of grooves 23. Thus, the diameter of the clamping main body 25 is reduced, and the hose member is tightened against the mating member at one of the opposite ends.
Note that the clamping main body 25 of the conventional hose clamp 21 is provided with engager portions 25a (e.g., a concaved portion), 25b (e.g., a convexed portion). The engager portions 25a, 25b are disposed away from the screw 26, and have different configurations, for instance, in a width-wise direction of the clamping main body 25 (i.e., an axial direction of a hose member). When the hose clamp 21 is temporarily placed at one of the opposite ends of a hose member, these engager portions 25a, 25b are engaged with engagee portions which are formed on the hose member, thereby positioning the hose clamp 21 and inhibiting it from moving in the circumferential direction (i.e., in a direction around the axis of the hose member). Thus, the screw 26 is placed in advance at a specified position with respect to the hose member. As a result, the subsequent tightening operation can be carried out with ease.
The conventional hose clamp 21 includes the clamping main body 25 which is provided with the engager portions 25a, 25b so as to ease the positioning operation of the operating member (i.e., the screw 26) for the subsequent tightening operation. Hence, it is possible to securely place the operating member at the position where the tightening operation can be carried out with ease. On the contrary, the engager portions 25a, 25b are placed at the positions where they are hardly identified visually. As a result, the engager portions 25a, 25b are kept away from aligning with the engagee portions of the hose member, and thereby the tightening operation might be carried out faultily. If such is the case, after the faulty tightening operation, an operator who notices the failure should loose the screw 26, or the operator should release the free opposite ends so that the operator can modify the position of the clamping main body 25 to an appropriate position, and thereafter the operator should carry out the tightening operation again.
Further, when the diameter of the hose member is varied, it is necessary, in the conventional hose clamp 21 described above, to correct the specifications of the clamping main body 25 in order to change the positions of the engager members 25a, 25b.
Furthermore, since every hose member is provided with its own engagee portions whose axial length varies, the specifications of the clamping main body 25 should meet not only the variation in the diameter of the hose member but also the variation in the axial length of the engagee portions thereof.
Moreover, these problems stemming from the conventional hose clamp 21 similarly arise in a conventional spring-type hose clamp whose clamping main body exerts an urging force for reducing its diameter around its axis when the clamping main body is provided with engagee portions.